Pilaster repair device and method for repairing seawalls

ABSTRACT

A seawall pilaster repair device and method of use, the device having a front plate, two sides with a flange extending from each side, an open top and bottom, the sides extending perpendicular from each flange to connect to the front plate thereby forming an open area between the plates and any surface to which the device is attached. A gasket may be utilized between the flange and the seawall to prevent cementitious material from extruding from the plate during injection.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED CASES

The present patent application is a continuation in part of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/964,783, filed Aug. 12, 2013, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for any purpose whatsoever.

FIELD

This disclosure relates to seawalls, and more particularly to devices and methods of use for repairing damaged pilasters in joints of seawalls.

BACKGROUND

Seawalls are used as a border between land and water bodies, such as along rivers, lakes, and oceans. A seawall prevents the adjoining ground from being eroded or falling into the adjoining water body. Most seawalls are constructed of concrete which is poured in sections and then connected at joints which are covered by concrete pilasters that extend slightly outwardly from the concrete wall. The pilasters are generally formed of poured concrete around metal rods embedded therein. Unfortunately, over time, due to wear, tear and corrosion, the pilasters crack around the edges and bottoms. This is unsightly and can result in the adjoining dirt being held back by the seawalls to fall through the pilasters forming sinkholes. Such sinkholes pose a danger to anyone walking or on machinery near the sinkholes. Property owners are faced with filling in the sinkholes with concrete and/or rock as well as rebuilding the pilasters, an expensive and ultimately futile undertaking. Thus, there is a need for a pilaster repair device and method for repairing pilaster seawall joints which is easier, quicker, less expensive and more effective than current repair methods.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

An object of the present disclosure is to provide devices that can be used to repair degraded pilasters of seawalls. Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for using the device to repair degraded pilasters of seawalls. A further object of the present disclosure is to provide such a device and method that is easier to utilize in repairing seawall pilasters.

An even further object of the present disclosure is to provide such a device and method for repairing seawall pilasters that is less expensive than current methods. Another object of the present disclosure is to provide such a device and method for repairing seawall pilasters that is faster and less labor intensive than current methods for repairing seawall devices.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide such a device and method that permanently fixes seawall pilasters and prevents further degradation. A yet further object of the present disclosure is to provide such a device that is aesthetic in appearance. The present disclosure fulfills the above and other objects by providing, in some implementations, a seawall pilaster repair device which has a front plate, two side plates, flanges extending from the proximal end of each side plate and an open top and bottom. The side plates extend perpendicular from each flange to the front plate to form an open area between the sides and any surface to which the device is attached. The device has at least one injection port for injecting cementitious material into the interior of the device when it is attached to a seawall.

Each flange can have at least one hole therein for inserting attachment means for attaching a device to a seawall. The at least one injection port may be on the front plate or on the side plates of the device. The attachment means may be stainless steel expanding sleeve anchors, screws, nails or any equivalent attachment item. Although the device could be made of almost any rigid material, it is preferably made of fiberglass for durability against exposure to sunlight and water, especially salt water. Caps can be provided to cover the injection ports after the cementitious material has been injected into the device. A gasket may be utilized between the flanges and the seawall to help prevent cementitious material from flowing outward during an injection process. For aesthetic purposes, the pilaster repair device can be made of the same color as the seawall on which it is used.

In a further implementation, a repair device is provided having a curved front plate that resembles a rounded column after installation. The curved front plate can extend outwardly beyond an outwardly facing face of a top slab of the seawall above it to permit cement to be poured through an opening, or gap, defined between an inner surface of the curved front plate, and an outwardly facing front face of the top slab of the seawall. An outer surface of the front plate can be tapped with a hammer to permit cementitious material to fall into and fill the gap defined between the inner surface of the front plate and the native pilaster. Once filled with cement, the top surface of the repair device can be trowled off to form a small shelf that can support decorative or structural items. Additional reinforcing members (e.g., bolts rebar, and the like) can be anchored into the native pilaster such that cementitious material can be formed around said members to strengthen the installation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following detailed description, reference will be made to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical seawall with a degraded pilaster;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the device of the present disclosure used to repair degraded seawall pilasters;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the device of the present disclosure used to repair degraded seawall pilasters;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the device of the present disclosure used to repair degraded seawall pilasters;

FIG. 5 is a back view of the device of the present disclosure used to repair degraded seawall pilasters;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the device of the present disclosure after installation on a seawall.

FIG. 7 is a front plan and end view of a further repair device having a rounded, and outwardly bowed front plate.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

For purposes of describing the preferred embodiment, the terminology used in reference to the numbered components in the drawings is as follows:

-   1 seawall -   2 pilaster -   3 seawall top -   4 ground -   5 water body -   6 cracks -   7 side of pilaster -   8 pilaster bottom -   9 dirt -   10 sinkhole -   11 pilaster repair device, generally -   12 front plate of device -   13 side plates of device -   14 side flanges of device -   15 bottom of device -   16 top of device -   17 attachment holes -   18 injection ports -   19 interior surface of mold -   20 cap -   21 gasket

Referring to FIG. 1, a typical seawall 1 is illustrated with a degraded pilaster 2 over a joint connecting two sections of the seawall. The seawall has a top slab 3 on a top side and extending outwardly therein over the pilaster 2. Seawalls are used to keep the adjoining ground 4 from eroding and falling into the water body. Typical pilasters 2 used to connect and cover joints in sections of a seawall contain metal rods, usually referred to as rebar, and are formed by pouring concrete into a form around the metal rods. Unfortunately, the metal rods within the pilaster 2 corrode creating cracks 6 in the pilaster 2 as well as cracks and erosion in the bottom 8 of the seawall. Such cracks and erosion creates openings through which dirt in the ground 4 falls through the cracks and into the water, thereby forming a sinkhole 10 in the ground 4 adjoining the top of the seawall 3. Such a sinkhole can be dangerous to anyone walking near the seawall or operating machinery, such as a lawnmower. Accordingly, persons with property near seawalls find it necessary to fill such sinkholes with concrete and/or rocks which doesn't solve the problem of the degraded pilaster or prevent further degradation of the pilaster. Thereby, attempts are made to repair the pilaster which usually comprise of using stucco concrete to cover or repair the cracks and pilaster. Unfortunately, there is nothing that exists prior to the embodiments of the present disclosure which will repair the pilasters on a permanent basis.

In FIGS. 2 through 5, a pilaster repair device of the present disclosure is illustrated. The device has two side flanges 14 from which two side plates 13 extend perpendicularly to connect to a front plate 12. The device has an open top 16 that fits underneath the top slab of the seawall 3 when installed and an open bottom 15 which is sunk into the bed of the water body at a desired depth during installation. The side flanges 14 have at least one attachment hole 17 into which attachment devices, such as stainless steel expanding sleeve anchors, can be inserted to secure the device over degraded pilasters 2 on a seawall 1. The device further contains at least one injection port 18 on the front plate 12 or on the side plates 13 of the device for injecting cementitious material into the interior opening between the front plate 12, side plates 13 and the surface of the seawall and pilaster over which the device is attached. Gaskets 21 may be placed between the flanges 14 and the seawall 1 prior to attachment to provide a better seal against the cementitious material, injected under pressure, leaking from the device. The injection ports 18 may be sealed after injection with a cap that may be threadably inserted into the injection ports 18.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the pilaster repair device 11 is shown as appears after installation on a seawall 1 under the top slab 3. The method of use for the seawall pilaster device involves steps of attaching device over and around the seawall pilaster by inserting attachment means, preferably stainless steel expanding sleeve anchors, into the attachment holes 17 in the flanges 14. Then cementitious material is injected into at least one of the ports 18 to fill the interior space between front plate 12, sides 13, and seawall 1. Then a cap 20 can be placed over the injection port 18 to seal the device 11. For durability, the device preferably is made of molded fiberglass but could be made of almost any rigid material. The device could be colored, preferably a color gray similar to the color of the seawall, so that it will be aesthetically pleasing. The device is designed to be attached permanently to the outside of the pilaster to prevent further degradation of the pilaster by exposure to the elements.

In the embodiment of FIG. 7, repair device is provided having a curved front plate that resembles a rounded column after installation. The curved portion of the front plate preferably extends outwardly beyond an outwardly facing face of a top slab of the seawall above it to permit cement to be poured through an opening, or gap, defined between an inner surface of the curved front plate, and an outwardly facing front face of the top slab of the seawall. The front face of the top slab can be aligned with the corners of the curved front plate, such that only a curved line extends beyond the front face of the top slab in a top plan view. Alternatively, if desired, the corners of the curved front plate can also extend beyond the front face of the top slab. The device of FIG. 7 is installed to the native pilaster and/or vertical seawall slabs with fasteners as with the previous embodiment, but then can be filled with cementitious material via a shovel and funnel from the top through the gap defined between the inner surface of the front plate and the native pilaster. A hammer can be used to tap the curved front plate of the repair device to cause the cementitious material to fall downwardly and eliminate any noticeable voids. This embodiment thus removes the need for using a pressurized source of cementitious material, greatly simplifying and speeding installation.

Once filled with cement, the top surface of the repair device can be trowled off to form a small concrete surface, or shelf, that can support decorative or structural items. Additional reinforcing members (e.g., bolts rebar, and the like) can be anchored into the native pilaster such that cementitious material can be formed around said members to strengthen the installation. For example, reinforcing screening can be bolted to the native pilaster that cementitious material can form around as the device is filled with concrete/cement. It will also be appreciated that the front face of the device of FIG. 7 can be flat and squared off rather than curved, as long as it is deep enough from front to back to define the needed fill port in cooperation with the top slab of the wall as recited above. The depth of the opening defined between the top of the device and the outward face of the top slab can be any desired dimension from front to back between one and ten inches, for example, in any desired increment of one half of an inch.

It is to be understood that while a preferred embodiment of the disclosure is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure and the disclosure is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification and drawings. 

I claim:
 1. A device for repairing pilasters in seawalls, comprising: a front plate, two side plates, a flange extending from each side plate, a top and a bottom, said two side plates extending perpendicularly from each flange to connect to the front plate to form an open area between the front plate, side plates and a surface of the seawall to which the flanges are attached, said flanges having at least one hole in each flange for inserting means for attachment to the seawall, the front plate being dimensioned so as to extend beyond a front face of a top slab of the seawall by an amount sufficient to form an upper fill port between an inner surface of the device and the top slab to permit cementitious material to be poured into the upper fill port to fill a gap defined between the inner surface of the device and the native pilaster.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the front plate is outwardly bowed.
 3. The device of claim 2, wherein the means for attaching the flanges to a seawall comprise stainless steel expanding sleeve anchors.
 4. The device of claim 3, being formed of fiberglass.
 5. The device of claim 4, further comprising a gasket placed between the flanges and the seawall prior to inserting the means for attachment into the at least one hole in each flange.
 6. A method of repairing a pilaster in a seawall using a device having a front plate, two side plates, a flange extending from each side, a top and a bottom, said sides extending perpendicular from each flange to form an open area between the front plate, the two side plates and any surface to which the flanges are attached, said flanges having at least one hole for inserting means for attachment to the seawall, said method comprising the steps of: a. disposing the device over the pilaster such that the front plate extends at least partially beyond a top slab at the top of the seawall to define a gap between an inner surface of the front plate and an outwardly disposed face of the upper slab, the gap being sufficient to pour cementitious material into; b. attaching the device over the pilaster by inserting the means for attachment into at least one hole in the flanges to secure the device to the seawall; and c. pouring cementitious material into the at least one port to fill the interior space between the front plate, sideplates and seawall.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the attachment means of the device for insertion into the holes in the flanges consist of stainless steel expanding sleeve anchors.
 8. The method of claim 6 wherein the device is formed of fiberglass.
 9. The method of claim 6 further comprising a step before ‘step a’ of placing a gasket between the flanges and the seawall prior to attachment of the device to the seawall.
 10. The method of claim 6, further comprising bolting reinforcing material to the pilaster prior to attaching the device to the seawall. 